This summer’s construction woes surrounding Saint John’s Harbour Bridge appear to be far from over – with years left in the province’s planned facelift.
Both the bridge’s eastbound lanes have been closed since early June, with traffic headed both ways now sharing the two westbound lanes to cross the harbour.
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The biggest headache, drivers say, has been merging into the two packed lanes at rush hour.
“I sometimes say a little prayer because you can see the traffic backed all the way down,” says Naomi Drummond, who crosses the bridge to get to work every day.
And with the bridge’s Chesley Drive exit out of commission, she says the detours can be a bit confusing.
“I timed it, because why not, and it took me 23 minutes,” Drummond says. “It’s normally like a seven-minute jaunt.”
The bridge is considered provincial infrastructure, with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure overseeing the project in three phases.
The department says Phase 1 is set to wrap in November of 2022 – but all lanes should reopen around mid-October.
Phase 2, which involves work on the north approach, is slated to begin early in 2022.
No start date for Phase 3 has been nailed down yet, according to department spokesperson Jennifer Boudreau.
The work being done this summer is focused on the west side of the bridge – removing expansion joints and replacing them with link slabs.
The department says the bridge’s concrete beams will also be repaired, with bearing blocks replaced before a fresh pave job.
Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon says, despite the disruption, the work is welcome in the city.
“It’s been 10 years since they last did any work on that bridge,” Reardon says.
“So if somebody else wants to come in, pay for things, upgrade things, I’m like: great, come on in and we’ll make it work.”
Reardon says Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Jill Green was in town last week to see the site when she told the mayor the job appears to be on schedule.
Commuters like Drummond are still in disbelief their daily drive will be impacted for years to come.
“I’m no expert by any means,” she says. “I don’t think they need it to take six years to uproot people’s lives every season.”